Knicks-Suns Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSONPosted Dec 25 2012 9:30PM

The New York Knicks got off to their best start in decades due in large part to consistent 3-point shooting. They've recently struggled to hit from outside, and the team's recent slide looks like no coincidence.

The Knicks will try to avoid rare consecutive losses on Wednesday night when they visit the Phoenix Suns.

New York has employed the league's most 3-point-oriented offense all season, firing a league-high 29.2 3-pointers a game. The Knicks (20-8) have also been efficient, making 11.5 to shoot 39.5 percent.

But the team's long-range shooting has gone cold, with New York connecting on 31.2 percent over the last five games, contributing to three losses in that span.

The Knicks' 100-94 loss against the Lakers on Christmas marked the second time this season they lost three times in a five-game span. They've yet to drop three in a row.

A victory to open this three-game trip was within reach with New York holding a nine-point lead in the third quarter, but it was limited to 16 fourth-quarter points - two shy of a season low - and hit 9 of 26 from beyond the arc. The 34.6 3-point percentage was actually the team's second-best during the last five games.

Carmelo Anthony scored 34 and J.R. Smith added 25, but the duo combined for only 12 in the final quarter.

"We missed a lot of easy shots ... shots that we normally make," said Anthony, who ranks near the top of the NBA at 28.3 points per game, the second highest average of his career.

"There were some plays that we thought should have went our way down the stretch, but for the most part, we fought. I'll take this effort any night. If we continue to play with this effort, we'll win a lot of games."

The Suns (11-17) come in having lost two in a row after winning four straight. They matched a season-low point total in a 103-77 home loss to the Clippers on Sunday.

Phoenix, too, has struggled from long range recently, going 8 of 36 (22.2 percent) in the last two defeats. The Suns also committed 16 turnovers against Los Angeles, which could prove costly against a Knicks squad averaging a league-low 10.8 turnovers per game.

"They can afford to turn the ball over a few times," said center Marcin Gortat, as the Clippers also had 16 turnovers. "Our team can't fall for that. We have to run what the coach is telling us to run and to execute."

New York continues to await the season debut of former Sun Amar'e Stoudemire, who likely won't return until after the this trip, which concludes Friday at Sacramento.

Stoudemire hasn't played after undergoing left knee surgery in the offseason, but shot some before Tuesday's game against the Lakers.

"I'm not quite there yet, but I'm making progress," said Stoudemire, who averaged 17.5 points and 6.8 rebounds last year. "I've just got to stay patient and stay ready. We've been doing extremely intense work, as far as cardio."

Marcus Camby, who appeared in only six of New York's first 26 games because of a sore left foot, played on Tuesday for the first time since Nov. 26. He had four points and four rebounds in eight minutes.

The Knicks beat the Suns 106-99 on Dec. 2 behind Anthony's 34 points. They ended a seven-game losing streak in Phoenix with a 121-96 rout on Jan. 7, 2011.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Smith's baseline jumper at buzzer beats Suns 99-97

By BOB BAUMPosted Dec 27 2012 5:01AM

PHOENIX (AP) Without Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton, the New York Knicks still had enough to eke out a 99-97 victory in Phoenix, thanks to a pair of very late, very tough jumpers by J.R. Smith.

The first was a 15-foot, fadeaway shot from just inside the key to tie it with 10.6 seconds left, the second a 21-footer from the baseline at the buzzer.

"I don't know whatever words you want to use but he loves that moment," Knicks guard Jason Kidd said. "I'm trying to figure out if that last shot was tougher than the one before that he took."

The game-winner came on an inbound pass from Kidd after the Suns turned it over with a second to play.

"It was premeditated," Smith said. "I was walking around the court going, `You are going to make it, you are going to make it.' I was trying to get my form ready before I even thought about taking it. I was trying to go through my mechanics in my head, get my shoulders square to the basket and just let it fly."

Jared Dudley had a career-high 36 for Phoenix, including two free throws that put the Suns ahead 97-95 with 34.5 seconds to go.

New York was without the NBA's No. 2 scorer in Anthony (hyperextended knee) and Felton (finger), both hurt in the Christmas day loss to the Lakers in Los Angeles.

The Knicks said X-rays on Felton's right fifth finger revealed a fracture and the next course of action will be determined after his return to New York.

"We just have to go back and assess it and see where we are and go from there, but again, like I said, injuries occur," New York coach Mike Woodson said. "Key guys get banged up here and there and we have enough guys on our team that guys just got to step up and play until guys get back. That's how it's got to be."

The Suns lost Goran Dragic in the final seconds of the first half when he was undercut by Smith on a layup attempt and fell hard to the floor. Dragic had bruises to his hip, back and wrist. Smith was called for a flagrant foul on the play.

Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry knew there was no intent to injure on Smith's part.

"J.R., he's not that kind of player," Gentry said. "He plays hard and he competes like crazy. It was an accident. It was one of those things that happens."

Dudley, whose previous high was 33, was 11 of 17 shooting, 5 of 8 on 3s, and 9 of 9 at the foul line. Marcin Gortat added 13 points for the Suns, who lost their third in a row.

New York led 54-44 at the half and stretched it to 68-54 when Smith made a fadeaway, falling-down 19-footer with 7:13 left in the third. Dudley responded with a 3-pointer and the Suns were off on a 20-4 outburst.

Another 3 by Dudley tied it at 72 with 2:10 to go, and Shannon Brown, who made just one of his first seven shots, scored on a fast-break layup to put Phoenix ahead 74-72 with 1:23 left in the quarter.

It was knotted at 76 entering the fourth.

Dudley was fouled by Copeland on a 3-point try and made all three free throws to put Phoenix up 90-86 with 5:19 left, but Smith scored the next four, Kidd sank a 3 and Copeland made a 21-footer in a 9-0 spurt that had the Knicks up 95-90 with 3:34 left.

After a scoreless 1:28, Sebastian Telfair made a 3, then Brown sank a 20-footer to tie it at 95 with 1:15 remaining.

Smith missed a jumper from the top of the key 52 seconds from the finish and the Suns got the ball. Dudley was fouled on a drive to the hoop and made both free throws to make it 97-95.

But Smith, with P.J. Tucker all over him, sank a fadeaway from just outside the free throw line to tie.

Gentry called a 20-second timeout but the play broke down and, when Telfair tried to hit Gortat for a back-door layup, the ball was knocked back into the backcourt by Kidd. Telfair chased it down but wound up stepping out of bounds with a second on the clock.

After a timeout, Kidd tossed the pass to Smith, who got the shot off, again over Tucker, from just inside the 3-point line. It went in and he was mobbed by his teammates.

"It happened so fast and obviously you want to keep it for the last shot and live with that," Dudley said, "but you give them one second and J.R. with the big shot."

NOTES: The Knicks complete their three-game trip west at Sacramento on Friday. ... New York has lost two in a row only once this season. ... Michael Beasley, a big part of the second-half surge, missed Sunday's home loss to the Clippers due to illness. ... The 36 points were the most by a Suns player in two seasons. ... Kidd also had eight assists and six rebounds. ... New York also was without Rasheed Wallace with a sore left foot. .... It was the first time the team had been without Anthony and Felton in the same game. .... The Knicks are 3-2 without Anthony.

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Follow Bob Baum at www.twitter.com/Thebaumerphx

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Notebook: Knicks 99, Suns 97

THE FACTS: J.R. Smith hit a 21-foot, off-balance jump shot from the right corner as time expired to lift the New York Knicks past the Phoenix Suns 99-97 on Wednesday night. Smith had tied the game at 97-97 with 10.6 seconds remaining when he spun at the left elbow and sank an 18-footer.

The Suns ran Jared Dudley from the left side around to the right, using three screens in the process, and Marcin Gortat was rolling alone to the basket, but Jason Kidd deflected Sebastian Telfair's pass to break up the play and set up Smith's shot. Smith slipped before taking the final inbounds pass, recovered and elevated off-balance off his back foot over P.J. Tucker as he fell left toward the baseline. He hit his second buzzer beater in three weeks. He finished with a season-high 27 points off the bench on 11-for-27 shooting.

The Knicks (21-8) were playing extremely short-handed after their Christmas Day loss to the Lakers. Carmelo Anthony was out with a hyper-extended left knee and Raymond Felton was sidelined with a sprained right pinkie. Rasheed Wallace also was out for the seventh straight game.

The Suns (11-18) lost starting point guard Goran Dragic with 22.1 seconds left in the first half when he fell hard to the floor after being fouled by Smith, sustaining contusions to his back and right wrist and hip.

QUOTABLE: "I don't know whatever words you want to use, but [Smith] loves that moment. He set the table."

-- Jason Kidd

THE STAT: Kidd, who had scored 26 points total in his last five games, scored a season-high 23 including five 3-pointers on eight attempts. He also had eight assists and six rebounds in just over 30 minutes.

TURNING POINT: After trailing by as many as 14, the Suns took a 90-86 lead when Dudley was fouled on a 3-point attempt and made all three free throws. But Smith sank two free throws, then recorded consecutive steals -- the first good for a breakaway dunk, the second resulting in a missed 3-pointer that was tipped out to Kidd. The Knicks point guard then hit the 3-pointer for a 93-90 lead with 4:09 to go.

HOT: Dudley was 11-for-17 from the floor, 5-for-8 behind the arc and a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line as he recorded the Suns' first 30-point game of the season. Dudley has scored 19 or more in his past five home games, the longest streak of its kind by a Suns player since Amar'e Stoudemire in 2010. ... Smith has consecutive 20-plus point games for the second time in his career.

NOT: Suns guard Shannon Brown was quiet for the second straight game, scoring 11 points on 5-for-13 shooting and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. Brown had only seven points Sunday against the Clippers after three double-digit scoring efforts in a row.

NOTABLE: Smith was called for a flagrant foul 1 for the foul on Dragic. ... Telfair played the entire second half at the point for Phoenix. ... The Knicks are 3-2 without Anthony. Felton missed his first game. ... New York is 7-1 following a loss this season. ... The Knicks swept the season series with Phoenix for the first time since 2002-03. ... The Suns matched a season low with 15 second-quarter points. ... Phoenix is 4-5 in its league-leading ninth game decided by three points or fewer. ... Phoenix fell to 2-1 in getaway games before multi-city road trips. ... After the game, Tucker spent several minutes sitting in front of his locker, his hands holding a towel over his head and face.

ROOKIE WATCH: Chris Copeland scored 10 of his 14 points in the second quarter as the Knicks outscored Phoenix 27-15 for a 54-44 halftime lead. Pablo Prigioni logged 17-plus minutes with the absence of Felton and Anthony, scoring five points.

IN THE ARENA: Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was seated courtside with his children, right next to Stoudemire's mother.